This article is the back story to “Father Mother of Mine” a music video on You Tube. If you are curious about Mongolian classical music, below you will find information about Mongolian composer B. Sharav.  If you’re just interested in the music video, scroll to the end of this page for the link to my YT channel.

The Music

“Father Mother of Mine” (Mong. “Аав ээж хоёр минь”) is one of the earlier compositions in Works for Piano (Volume 2, 2013)* by Byambasuren Sharav. In traditional Mongolian culture, it is not unusual for composers, artists, orators and scholars to honour their parents and lineage antecedents in the modality of artistic expression being performed, in this instance performed in euro-centric classical music’s notation.

With my father Leonid (1919-2007) one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met. Pictured together here after my Graduation Ceremony (a Postgraduate Degree in Educational Administration) The University of Melbourne (Carlton Campus) Australia. 14 March 1990. C.Pleteshner archival photograph.

The Mongolian Source of the Music

Fast forward to 2016: As I was packing my bags to fly out of Mongolia, I was presented with a complete collection of Byambasuren Sharav’s compositions for piano, all that were in print at that time. I sincerely thank D.Bilguun (see below), his nephew Temuulen (a morin khuur virtuoso!), Muntz, Uyanga and her mother for this now (2023) still treasured gift.

Starting in 2005, every year when I visited Mongolia it was Dugarjav Bilguun who was my generous tour guide. Together we drove around visiting nearly every temple in Ulan Bator (many of which are now gone due to urban development) stopping for a late breakfast or lunch, and always listening to music along the way. Ulaanbaatar, 11 September 2005. Photo: C.Pleteshner

The Mongolian Composer of the Music

BIO: Byambasuren Sharav (1952-2019) (Mong. Бямбасүрэнгийн Шарав, Byambasürengiin Sharav)  was a Mongolian composer and pianist. In this Mongolian name, the given name is Sharav. Byambasuren is a patronymic (a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor) not a family name.

Composer B.Sharav was born in Jargaltkhaan Sum in Khentii Aimag in Mongolia. As a child he learnt to play the piano accordion from his father. Later in life, as a music teacher at an elementary school, he began to compose children’s songs. From 1975 he studied at The Mussorgsky State Conservatoire in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast in what was the Soviet Union. He composed over 200 songs, the musical scores to more than twenty major motion pictures, eight concertos for Mongolian traditional folk instruments, three symphonies and four classical ballets. From a  world music perspective, in 2000 he was also commissioned by Yo-Yo Ma for the Silk Road Project, for which he composed Legend of Herlen. Source: https://sharav.org/en/

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Digital Nomads, the early days circa 2009

CP and D.Bilguun at the German Coffee House on Baga Toroo, a five minute walk from The Öndör Gegeen Zanabazaar Fine Arts Museum in downtown Ulan Bator. 16 August 2009. Photo: C.Pleteshner Mongolia Archive

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I very much enjoy playing this piano etude with its subtle Beethoven-style classical dramatic texture and musical contrast techniques. The date of B.Sharav’s original composition date for this etude is not listed in the appendix and so for now I’ve noted the book’s publication date (2013) instead.

CP in Mongolia on You Tube

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© 2013-2024. CP in Mongolia. This post is licensed under the  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions.   Posted: 30 October 2023. Last updated: 27 December 2023.